


Arabian Knight

by LilacChocolate



Series: Rin & Nitori [15]
Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, Arabian AU, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, M/M, Swordfighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-18
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-07 05:33:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10353318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacChocolate/pseuds/LilacChocolate
Summary: Rin hires a new guard to protect him, but will their feelings for each other get in the way of Rin's royal duties?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iguana_ism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iguana_ism/gifts).



Rin sighed for probably the hundredth time in two hours. His personal guard, Mikoshiba Seijuro, had been promoted to Captain of the Royal Guard since Captain Sasabe had just retired, and now it was up to Rin to hire himself a new personal guard. He’d already argued with his mother this morning about it: he was the crown prince; why did _he_ have to interview the candidates? His mother, the queen, already had an answer for him:

_‘Because, sweetheart, you’re far too picky. If someone else picked your guard for you, you’d fire them after five minutes. It’ll save time if you pick them.’_

Once again, Rin sighed as he watched yet another candidate march out of his wing of the palace.

‘Your Highness,’ Seijuro said with a sigh: he was just as fed up as Rin was, ‘the previous candidate, Yamazaki Sousuke, was outstanding.’

Rin clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and slouched down in his throne-like chair. ‘He looked at me strangely.’

Captain Mikoshiba held in another sigh. ‘All of the candidates are incredibly strong, agile, and intelligent. We’ve been doing this for two hours. Please, your Highness, just pick one.’ He turned to Rei and Nagisa who were guarding the doors. ‘Next candidate!’

The two guards opened the doors and in stepped the next hopeful. A small and soft looking man came into the room and Rin sat up. How could a person that small ever be the personal guard of a prince? Rin doubted he could even guard a kitten.

‘This is Nitori Aiichiro,’ Captain Mikoshiba said as he started to read out the profile of the man. ‘He is sixteen years old. His birthday is the fourth of January. He was born in here, in the kingdom of Iwatobi…’

Rin stood up and walked towards Aiichiro, which made Seijuro stop reading for a moment. That was the first time the prince had done that today. Should he take that as a good sign?

The prince narrowed his eyes as he looked the candidate up and down. Now that he was nearer, he could see the muscles outlined through the boy’s simple clothes, yet he still retained a soft appearance.

‘He has been training for-’

‘Shush…’ Rin said, and he now circled around the boy. The mole, the blue eyes, and the short grey hair that flicked up over his ears made Aiichiro look endearing, cute… and, dare he think it? Adorable. Because he was the crown prince, Rin wasn’t allowed to be around a lot of people, unless they were a palace guard. And most of the guards were either married or unattractive. Rin wouldn’t mind if this was boy was his guard. Even if Aiichiro didn’t turn out as homosexual, he certainly would be nice to look at.

Rin came back around to the front of Aiichiro and looked him in the eye. Instead of the glare he was expecting, the boy smiled at him. His lips were plump and full, and Rin tried not to get carried away imagining what it would be like to kiss them.

‘I’ll have this one,’ Rin said as turned to Seijuro.

‘Your Highness! You don’t know anything about him!’

Rin scoffed and brushed his red fringe to the side. ‘You said that all of the candidates are strong, agile, and intelligent. This one is, too, I presume?’

‘Yes, he is, but you know nothing of his personality.’

‘I’m hiring a guard, not a best friend.’ He looked over at Nagisa and Rei. ‘Take him to the palace seamstress to get him the uniform.’

‘Yes, your Highness.’

Aiichiro walked back towards the doors and Rin returned to his ornate chair. ‘Oh, I do have one question,’ Rin said and Aiichiro turned around.

‘Yes, your Highness?’

Rin rolled his lips together to stop himself from groaning. God, the boy’s voice… everything about him was so sweet. ‘Do you like to swim?’

Aiichiro’s smile widened into a grin. ‘I love to swim, your Highness.’

Rin nodded and waved the three men away. Seijuro followed and Rin strode over to his chaise longue, which he led on, staring at the paint and artex on the ceiling of his audience hall. He would definitely miss having Seijuro as his personal guard, but Rin was more than certain he could cope with the adorable Aiichiro.

…

‘Do you ever shut up?’ Rin asked. He was sat in a carriage with Aiichiro as they made their way to Iwate, one of the large cities in the kingdom of Iwatobi, to check on the work for the memorial monument or Rin’s father.

‘You were the one who asked me to start talking to you, your Highness.’

Rin sighed. The boy was right. For the first three month since he was hired, Aiichirou had been almost completely silent until Rin had urged him to speak up. The boy obeyed his orders and now he wouldn’t shut up when they were alone. Rin would have fired him if he wasn’t so nice to look at. That, and the way Rin felt about him. Unlike Seijuro, who would only let Rin do things that benefitted the kingdom, Ai would let Rin do whatever he wanted as long as he was safe. They would swim everyday, Ai’s weapons always sitting by the side of the pool, and Ai would give Rin private training sessions to help him get better at defending himself in case anything happened to Aiichiro – not that Rin wanted to think about that. Even when Rin had nightmares, which were less frequent now after the death of his father, Aiichiro would comfort him every single time, even if it was two in the morning and Ai had had a long day. If it was really bad, Aiichiro would climb into bed with him and hold him for as long as he needed, even if he needed it until the morning.

He and Aiichiro had become close, but in a way that was different to how close Rin and Seijuro had been. With Seijuro, they had grown to be like brothers, but with Aiichiro, it was different. They weren’t loud and boisterous with each other, like he’d been with Seijuro, rather, Rin and Aiichiro were more intimate. During training sessions, Aiichiro touched Rin’s hands and body, showing how to defend himself. After a night spent together, Rin would watch Aiichiro get dressed. The young guard would stand in front of the mirror, tying his blue Iwatobi sash around his waist, and Rin would lie on his bed, propped up on one of elbow, making sure his bare chiselled chest was visible in the mirror. Once Aiichiro blushed and his fingers fumbled with the silk, Rin would get up, stalk over to him, and tie the sash for him, making sure to press the front of his body against Aiichiro’s back, muscle against muscle, his chin on top of Aiichiro’s head. As soon as the sash was tied, Aiichiro would make his excuses and leave the room, but he would reappear ten minutes later, face no longer flushed, looking and acting like nothing had happened.

Even when they weren’t alone and touching each other, they still found time to flirt. Well, Rin thought it was flirting. He wasn’t 100% sure: he’d never done it with anyone else before. They were always looking at each other, even during banquets when the central audience hall was filled to the brim with Royals. Rin, who rarely smiled, would smile at Aiichiro whenever he had the chance, and Aiichiro would grin back, the skin around his eyes crinkling as he did. They would tease each other with compliments, and Rin would try his hardest to be funny, just so he could hear Aiichiro’s adorable little laugh.

Aside from the intimacy and the flirting, Rin and Aiichiro had normal conversations, too. Rin had never had that when Seijuro was his guard. Seijuro was already a palace guard before he became Rin’s guard, and already knew about the other person. It wasn’t like that with Aiichiro. Plenty of people judged Rin before they even met him. Eighteen years old and the crown prince, Rin didn’t blame them; he would have presumed that he was a spoilt brat, too, if he knew he wasn’t. Aiichiro was the only person Rin knew who had never judged him aside from his family.

Rin told Aiichiro about his father and how he died. Rin’s father had been on a state visit to the kingdom of Seoul, and he had taken eleven year old Rin with him. Everything had been fine until they made their return journey. There was a storm and the only survivors aboard their ship had been Rin and his father. But his father had been hurt, and as they sat aboard their wrecked ship, he gave Rin his necklace before he died from his injuries. Rin swam to the nearest shore and ended up in Samezuka, Iwatobi’s neighbouring kingdom that was run by a dictator. He was held hostage for months before he could be rescued, and as soon as he got home, Seijuro was assigned as his personal guard. Seijuro had never spoken to Rin about it, and he never even attempted to comfort Rin when he when he had nightmares about it. Rin told Aiichiro that was he scared for the day his mother would die. Not only would he lose another parent, but he would have to run the kingdom.

_‘I’m only eighteen, Ai. I don’t know the first thing about running a kingdom. What if everyone starves?’_

_Ai wrapped his arms around Rin. ‘The Queen still has plenty of life left in her, but when it is her time to go, she’ll have taught you how to do it. I have no doubt that you can be just as good a king as your father was. Besides, by the time it’s your turn to rule, you’ll have a wonderful wife by your side to help you.’_

_Rin snuggled his head into Aiichiro’s chest. **I don’t want a wife. I want you.**_ _But the prince never dared to say that aloud._

Rin told Aiichiro that he was worried for when Gou turned eighteen; the age princesses were allowed to get married. He didn’t trust any noble men or princes from other kingdoms to treat his sister right.

And for as much as Rin revealed about himself, Aiichiro revealed it right back. He was an orphan: his mother had died in childbirth, and he had never known his father.

_‘Are you alright?’ Rin asked Aiichiro when he told him that._

_Aiichiro nodded and tried not to let is tears fall. ‘Yes. I just… I never met my mother. I don’t remember her. It’s my fault she died.’ The tears fell then and Rin gathered him in his arms._

_‘It’s not your fault. It happens. It wasn’t your fault.’_

_Aiichiro sniffed and pulled away from Rin’s chest. ‘I never knew what she looked like.’_

_‘I bet she had gorgeous grey hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a cute little mole, which she all passed onto her very good-looking son,’ Rin said as he wiped away the boy’s tears._

_Aiichiro smiled up at Rin, then snuggled back into his chest, and Rin held him until he calmed down._

Aiichiro had never been kissed.

Well, they didn’t have much to discuss on that one since Rin had never been kissed either. But Rin was happy that no one had ever had their hands on his Aiichiro, though. He knew he shouldn’t be getting this possessive, but he couldn’t help himself: he wanted Aiichiro to be his.

Rin looked out of the carriage window so Aiichiro wouldn’t see him blushing.

‘Do you want me to stop talking, your Highness?’

Rin shook his head. ‘No. I’m just nervous about today. What if I start crying in front of all those people when I see the monument?’

Aiichiro shuffled towards Rin and laid one of his small hands on his arms. ‘Everything will be okay, your Highness. I’ll be right by your side. Just say the word, and I’ll find you somewhere quiet to talk it out with me, alright?’

Rin nodded and smiled at Aiichiro’s reflection in the window. ‘Thanks, Ai.’ He turned back to his guard. ‘How long until we arrive?’

‘About ten minutes.’

Rin nodded and stared straight ahead. Aiichiro, more often than not, forget to tag “your Highness” on at the end of sentences, but he had never called him by his first name, like the prince had asked him to.

They carried on travelling, but after five minutes, the carriage started to rock. Both the prince and his guard looked out of the carriage windows and their eyes widened in alarm. At both sides of the carriage was a bandit, both wearing clothing typical of the kingdom of Samezuka. Rin started to hyperventilate and Aiichiro sat him back in his seat.

‘Your Highness, I need you to calm down, alright? Breathe with me.’ Aiichiro placed his hand on Rin’s chest, then took Rin’s hand and placed it on his own chest. At the feel of Aiichiro’s steady heartbeat, Rin started to calm down even though the bandits reminded him of the men who took him hostage. That was seven years ago. Rin took a deep breath, and with his other hand, he placed it on his neck, finding the pendant his father had given him. The metal sun was simple in design, but it meant so much to Rin. He had to be brave for the sake of his dad, and now, for the sake of Aiichiro, too.

‘That’s much better. Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to jump out of the carriage and onto the horses of one of those men. I’ll knock him off then try to get to the other bandit. You’re to stay in the carriage unless I say so. I should be quick enough to get the other bandit, but just in case I’m not, take these.’ Aiichiro took two throwing knives off his belt and handed them to Rin.

‘Okay.’

Aiichiro smiled and opened the door to the carriage. The bandit was right outside the door, his horse galloping through the sand as it tried to keep up. Aiichiro leapt from the carriage and Rin’s heart felt like it settled in his throat as he watched his guard risk his life for him. Would he make it? Aiichiro, although he didn’t know it, was always proving Rin wrong. To be honest, the reason why Rin hired Aiichiro in the first place was because he was cute. He had never expected him to be that good at fighting. But he was so wrong. Rin had sat in on a few training sessions for the guards and had watched in amazement as Aiichiro had overpowered Seijuro, even though the head of the Royal Guard was twice his size.

He breathed a sigh of relief when Aiichiro jumped onto the horse and Rin stayed sat by the window to watch. His guard battled with the bandit, both of them tugging this way and that, the horse unsteady as it continued its gallop. The bandit looked stronger and tougher with tattoos running up down his bare arms, and just when it looked like he was going to throw Aiichiro off the horse, Rin’s guard came through and the small boy kicked off the bandit.

Rin held a hand to his heart and willed it to slow down. They were almost safe.

Or so he thought. The other bandit, angered by the fall of his friend, kicked the carriage, and the force of it made the drivers lose control of the horses and the carriage tipped over. There was nothing to hold onto and Rin shrieked as the carriage rolled over and over, again and again. As it rolled over, Rin managed to look out of the window. In the distance, he could see Iwate, and the two drivers were on horseback, heading straight for the city to hopefully get some help. Rin looked the other way, and saw the horse Aiichiro had been riding was now led in the sand, but his guard was nowhere to be seen.

Rin started to hyperventilate once more. Where was Aiichiro?! Rin wouldn’t know what he would do if something happened to him. Instead of staying in the overturned carriage and being scared, as soon as the carriage stopped rolling, Rin opened the only accessible door.

Only a few metres away was the other bandit, so Rin jumped down from the carriage and started to run to Iwate. He knew he wouldn’t make it, but the closer he got, the quicker medical help would reach him. He would have been faster, if it weren’t for his shoes. His pumps curled up at the toes and they were so hard to run in. As soon as he became King, then these kind of shoes were being banned. And so were – _Rin! This isn’t the time to think about this! You need to run!_

Rin panted as he sprinted through the dessert, Iwate getting closer with every second, as was the bandit. He couldn’t defend himself very well, but he was strong from the amount of running and swimming he did everyday. He could hold off the bandit until help arrived. Or Aiichiro did. A lump formed in Rin’s throat and his running slowed a little. _Aiichiro_ …

The prince tripped over his own feet, sending himself head first into the sand. He heard the bandit’s horse stop galloping and Rin tried to crawl away, but by then, the bandit was on foot and he held the tip of his sword to the back of Rin’s neck.

‘Prince…’ he hissed, accent screaming Samezukan. ‘Turn over. I want you to see my face when I kill you.’

Rin squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and rolled over, one hand going to his pocket where the throwing knives were. He wasn’t sure what use they would be when the bandit was this close to him, but he would try. He had to try.

The bandit was stood over him, sword now pointing at the centre of his chest. A bandana covered his mouth and a scarf his head. He looked exactly like one of the men who had taken him.

‘Prince Rin… You won’t remember me. But you remember my brother. Your guards killed him when they came to rescue you, so now you’ll pay the price.’

Rin said nothing, just gripped the blades in his pocket. As soon as the bandit raised his sword, Rin would have his chance. He would-

His train of thought was cut off as a small figure tackled the bandit to the ground. Rin sat up and he couldn’t help but smile when he saw Aiichiro, his Aiichiro, was right here, saving his life. His smile faded when he saw the blood trickling down from Aiichiro’s hairline. Had he been too close to the carriage when it toppled over? Did it crush him?

Rin sat there and started to shake as he watched Aiichiro and the bandit. They had risen from the ground now and began to sword fight. He could have stepped in, thrown the knives Aiichiro had given him, but he stayed sat there. He had been no help at all.

Aiichiro looked at him suddenly, managing to keep up his fluid technique and fight off the bandit. ‘Rin! You need to run!’

The shock of his guard finally calling him by his first name made Rin get up and he ran for Iwate, but not without glancing back every so often to see how the fight was progressing. The first few times the prince looked back, Aiichiro was winning, but now he looked like he was on the losing side. Rin saw Aiichiro look over at him, and that’s when the bandit took his chance. He sliced open Aiichiro’s arm, and even though Aiichiro cried out, he used the adrenaline from the pain and stabbed the bandit right in the stomach.

Rin stopped running and stood on the outskirts of Iwate as he watched the bandit fall to the ground, unmoving. Aiichiro looked over at Rin and smiled, then he collapsed, too.

‘Ai!’ Rin sprinted back and fell to his knees next to Aiichiro. His arm was losing a lot of blood too quickly, so the prince took off the expensive sash from around his waist and wrapped it around Aiichiro’s arm. ‘What happened to your head?’ Rin asked as he tied it tightly, making sure there was enough pressure on the wound to try and stop the bleeding.

‘The carriage…’ Aiichiro tried to finish his sentence, but his eyelids were fluttering shut and his head was swaying on the sand.

‘Ai! No! Come on! Stay with me!’

The boy just smiled and his eyes closed. Rin sat there with baited breath, hoping for something, anything, but there was nothing. He scooped Aiichiro up into his arms then ran to Iwate. Just as he reached the city, the drivers returned, this time with a doctor and some soldiers. The soldiers took Aiichiro from Rin and carried him away, but instead of following them, the doctor put down his bag and started to examine Rin.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Treating you, your Highness. You’re covered in scratches. These could become infected.’

‘What about my guard?’

‘Your guard’s life is not as important as yours.’

Rin pushed the doctor away from him. ‘Please, see to my guard. He’s lost a lot of blood. Save his life, then you can see to me.’

The doctor ran off, following the soldiers, and Rin sprinted after him.

…

An hour later, Aiichiro woke up, and at his side sat Rin. As soon as the prince saw the beautiful blue eyes opening, Rin shuffled closer to him and took his hand in his.

‘Are you okay?’ The prince asked. Aiichiro had a head injury from being caught under the carriage when it toppled over, as well as a few cuts and scratches when he tried to get out, as well as the massive cut up his arm from the Samezukan bandit.

Aiichiro nodded with a smile. ‘I’m fine.’ The guard’s eyes fell to Rin’s body and frowned when he saw the amount of cuts and scrapes he had. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you from the carriage being rolled over.’

Rin shook his head and took Aiichiro’s hand in his. ‘It couldn’t have been helped. You saved me from the bandit. He wanted to kill me because the palace guards had killed his brother when I was rescued from Samezuka when I was younger. Thank you, Ai.’

The boy smiled again. ‘It’s alright, your Highness.’

Rin smiled and leant down and kissed his guard’s cheek. Both men coloured up and when Rin sat back up, he looked away awkwardly.

‘Errmm… t-thank you, your H-highness.’

Rin cleared his throat. He was too red in the face and his heart was beating too fast to be able to have a normal conversation with his guard whilst looking at him. ‘The rest of the trip has been cancelled. My mother is sending us another carriage so we can get back home.’

Aiichiro nodded. ‘Can we go swimming when we get back home?’

 _Home._ Rin’s heart warmed at the sound of Aiichiro calling the prince’s quarters home. ‘I don’t think you should swim until you’re injuries are better.’

Aiichiro giggled and Rin looked back over at him. ‘Okay, your Highness.’ The guard closed his eyes, but Rin stayed sat there, and he watched as the guard lifted up his hand and touched the place where Rin had kissed him. The prince grinned. He had spent the last few months thinking that Aiichiro just got flustered whenever Rin was in close contact with him, but now, Rin was halfway certain that the boy had feelings for him, too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin is getting married, but will it be to Aiichiro, or someone else?

After the incident with the Samezukan bandit, Rin had kissed Aiichiro on the cheek three more times.

The first was during one of their swimming lessons. Aiichiro had counted how long it took Rin to do a length, and when Aiichiro revealed that he’d beaten his personal best, Rin got out of the pool and kissed his guard on the cheek.

The second time had been when one of the palace cats had scratched Rin’s entire arm. Aiichiro had wrapped it in a bandage for him, and Rin had kissed his cheek in thanks.

The third time had been when Aiichiro had accompanied Rin to his father’s memorial in Iwate. Their second trip had been much more successful than the first, and Rin had spent hours sat by the memorial, just talking, and Aiichiro had stayed by his side the whole time. Once Rin had settled down and they were back in the safety of Iwatobi Palace, Rin kissed his cheek.

But time was running out for Rin and Aiichiro. They hadn’t made it past kisses on the cheek and flirting, and now that Rin’s nineteenth birthday was approaching, he was expected to marry soon. To help him, his mother was inviting all of the eligible bachelorettes in the land to present themselves before him. There would be three sessions every two weeks, and Rin had to pick one of them. They were all bound to be pretty, kind, and rich, and any other young man would have loved to be in a room surrounded by women vying for their affections, but not Rin.

Maybe Rin wouldn’t have minded so much if he liked girls, but he felt nothing for them. He had always expected that feelings for girls would develop eventually, but instead, Rin fell for Aiichiro. The kingdom wasn’t homophobic by any means, and if Rin was anyone else, he could be with Aiichiro, but the Royal Court wouldn’t allow Rin to marry a palace guard, and two men couldn’t produce heirs. The only way around that one was for Gou to hopefully be heterosexual so that the Royal line of Matsuoka could still be continued – not that Rin wanted to think about his little sister having children yet; she had only just turned sixteen, yet she was already expected to marry soon.

But what was the use in thinking about it? Rin and Aiichiro could never be together. The prince sighed and stretched out on his chaise longue.

‘How the first session then?’ Aiichiro asked as he entered Rin’s chambers.

The prince just grunted. Aiichiro had been stood behind him during the first session guarding him, so the boy hadn’t seen his bored facial expression.

‘That bad?’

Rin nodded. ‘It was dreadful.’

‘So… you find didn’t anyone that you wanted to marry?’

‘No.’ The prince looked over at Aiichiro. The boy looked relieved all of a sudden and Rin smiled: maybe there was hope for them yet. But Rin knew Aiichiro wouldn’t make the first move. He was too shy, and even if he wanted to make the first move, he couldn’t. If Rin didn’t return his feelings and Aiichiro confessed, Rin would probably fire him. It was up to Rin to make the first move.

But how were you supposed to confess? Rin had never done it before. He supposed he could ask Rei and Nagisa, two of his other guards. They had been a couple for a few years now, but if Rin asked them, then Nagisa would start spreading rumours around the palace, and then the Queen would ask to talk to Rin, and if that happened, Rin and Aiichiro would have a lot less time to spend together than they already had.

Rin spent almost two weeks thinking about it and decided that the best course of action was to tell Aiichiro about his feelings when the moment felt right, which was also the worst course of action since the next bride session was today, and the last one was in two weeks. Time really was wearing on.

The second session played out the same as the first did. Father of young women presented their daughters, the Queen and Princess smiled politely at them all, and Rin slouched in his throne, quite clearly not wanting to be there.

His boredom was increased tenfold when his mother asked him to stay behind after all the potential brides had left, and as soon as the main audience hall was empty, the Queen gave her son a thorough talking to about his attitude.

By the time Rin made it back to his bedroom, he was seething and just wanted to spend some time with Aiichiro. Luckily, the boy was already in his quarters.

‘Your Highness? What’s wrong?’

Rin sighed. ‘Just my mother and this stupid wife-picking thing. I don’t want to marry some random princess.’ _I want to marry you._ But Rin didn’t say that. He was too angry; he didn’t want to confess to Aiichiro when he was in this mood.

‘Do you want to do some combat training to cool off?’

Rin nodded and started taking off his jewellery and sashes so he was only left in his harem pants and silken waistcoat. He threw the waistcoat onto his bed and smiled when he saw a blush bloom on Aiichiro’s cheeks: the prince was feeling better already.

Aiichiro discarded his armour, and was now left in light blue harem pants and a yellow shirt. He moved onto the Persian rug that sat on the floor at the foot of Rin’s bed. Aiichiro stood at one side, Rin on the other, and then they bowed, and lunged for each other. It wasn’t violent or painful as the two men tumbled to the floor. Rin and Aiichiro often did this to relieve stress, and Aiichiro would always win. But not today. Rin was stronger, but Aiichiro’s flawless technique would always have Rin pinned down to the rug, but Rin had been practicing and taking note on what made Aiichiro perform a certain move.

Aiichiro wrapped his legs around Rin’s waist, and his hands reached up to grab the prince’s shoulders to flip him over, but instead of Rin stopping for a moment to revel in the feel of Ai’s legs wrapped around him, he grabbed Aiichiro’s wrists and pinned his guard down on the rug in victory.

Instead of letting go of Aiichiro and parading around his room because he won, Rin stayed there, his lean body poised over Aiichiro’s. The guard didn’t move either. His legs stayed wrapped around Rin’s waist and he didn’t try to free his wrists; just lay there under Rin. They stared at each other, pupils dilated and breathing becoming deeper. Before he knew what he was doing, Rin leant down and kissed his guard, and, to his relief, Aiichiro kissed back. They started slow, hands unmoving, eyes closed; this was both of their first kisses. Rin pulled back a little, then leaned down again, He took Aiichiro’s bottom lip into his mouth and sucked and the boy beneath him whimpered. Carefully, Rin bit down on the plump flesh, Aiichiro’s mouth fell open in a moan. Rin took the moment and captured Ai’s lips in another kiss. It was still slow, still sweet, but their hands were roaming over each other’s bodies this time, fingertips dipping in next to muscles, knuckles caressing faces, silken hair falling into each other’s eyes. Once again, Rin pulled away first, but it was to admire Aiichiro’s flushed cheeks and red lips. He went back in, planning to place marks down Aiichiro’s neck to let everyone in the palace know that the gorgeous guard had been taken, but Aiichiro pushed him away. He got up from the floor and went over to his armour, which he started to put back on.

‘Aiichiro?’ Rin asked, still sat on the floor. ‘What’s wrong?’

Aiichiro hadn’t looked upset when they kissed, and even though Rin was used to getting what he wanted as a prince, he would’ve pulled away if he could tell that Aiichiro wasn’t enjoying it or didn’t want it.

‘We shouldn’t have done that, your Highness.’

‘What?’ Rin marched over to Aiichiro and kicked the armour that was still on the floor so it was out of Aiichiro's reach. ‘I initiated it, not you. I’m not going to fire you.’

‘We still shouldn’t have done it.’ Aiichiro went to walk towards his armour but Rin grabbed his wrist.

‘Why not? I’ve had feelings for you since the first moment I saw you. I’m in love with you, Ai.’

‘I’m not-’

Rin placed his hand under Aiichiro’s chin and made his guard look at him. ‘Tell me the truth. I’ve seen the way you look at me. I’m not stupid. Please, Ai.’ Rin’s bottom lip trembled.

‘I…’ Aiichiro closed his eyes. ‘I love you, Rin.’

‘And you’re not lying?’

Aiichiro shook his head. ‘No, but why are you telling me this now? You’re picking a bride. You’re getting married. Why now?’

‘For that reason. I can’t marry any of those women. At the next session, this girl is coming to the palace. She’s called Hanamura Chigusa and my mother loves her but she’s horrible and a gold digger but I know if I don’t pick a bride by the end of the next session, then my mother will make me marry that girl. I had to tell you how I felt before that happened.’

‘But why?’ Why tell me this now? We can’t be together. You’re getting married, and even if you weren’t, we’re not allowed to be together.’

Rin shook his head and allowed himself to smile for the first time that day. ‘It’s not against the law for us to be together.’

‘But your marriage-’

‘We’ll think of something, Ai.’

The boy nodded, looking dejected.

‘Hey,’ Rin said and he hugged his guard. ‘What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy? I’ve been waiting ages to confess to you.’

‘I am, but it’s just… I’m a guard and you’re a prince. I don’t deserve you…’ Aiichiro finished in a whisper.

Rin had never seen Aiichiro like this. He had almost cried when Aiichiro had told him about his mother, but he hadn’t been like this before; tears threatening to fall and talking about himself like this. When Rin had moments of low self-esteem, Aiichiro was always there to help him through it. Rin needed to do that for Aiichiro now.

‘Ai, listen.’ Rin leant down so his red eyes were level with Aiichiro’s blue ones. ‘I have loved you since the first moment I ever saw you. I have never doubted my feelings for you, and I have never doubted that you returned them. I wouldn’t care if you were a beggar on the street: it wouldn’t change my feelings for you, okay?’

Aiichiro sniffed and nodded. ‘Okay.’

‘So… can we please try and be together?’ Rin asked, afraid that Aiichiro would deny him again.

‘We can try.’

Rin grinned and kissed Aiichiro in his happiness. Rin’s lips against his muffled the guard’s squeal of surprise, but he responded and kissed back.

The day after, the first full day of their new relationship, things were awkward between the prince and his guard. They had to remain stoical and professional in public, but could be as intimate as they wanted when they were alone. They slipped into a routine on the third day, and by the end of the seventh day, Aiichiro was bold enough to ask to spend the night in Rin’s bed, which the prince agreed to.

Day eight was when disaster struck. The Princesses and Duchesses and Ladies began arriving at the palace, and the little fantasy world Rin had built with Aiichiro came crashing down. This was happening. He would be getting married, but not to Aiichiro. Rin tried to keep his guard away from the palace’s guests, but there was a prospective bride around every corner.

The ninth day was when Aiichiro broke down. They were alone in Rin’s bedroom and the prince was preparing for his weekly audience. Aiichiro stood behind him, watching in the reflection of the mirror, and all of a sudden, his eyes filled with tears.

‘Ai?!’ Rin turned around in alarm and gathered his guard in his arms. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘The final session…’ he sobbed. ‘It’s in five days. You have to pick a bride at the end of them.’

‘I know, I know. I’ll think of a way for us to be together. Don’t worry, okay? Even if I have to give up my crown, we will be together.’

Aiichiro lifted his head out of Rin’s chest. ‘I can’t let you do that. Being King… I know how much that means to you, to follow in your dad’s footsteps.’

‘Alright, not that, but I’ll think of something, okay?’

Aiichiro nodded and wiped his eyes with the heel of his palm. ‘Okay.’

Rin smiled, unsure of what he should say to comfort his boyfriend. The prince needed some time to think. ‘It’s been a little cold today. Go and take a warm bath and relax a little.’

‘But you have an audience in a few minutes.’

‘Rei and Nagisa can look after me. And here.’ Rin grabbed his red silk robe from the bottom of his bed. ‘Wear this. It’ll help you calm down.’

Aiichiro nodded and took the robe. ‘Thank you, Rin.’ Then the boy went up onto his tiptoes and pressed a kiss to the prince’s cheek. He left Rin’s bedroom and the Prince sighed as he watched him go. He had to fix this situation, but he had no idea how to.

A knock on the door to his quarters brought Rin out of his thoughts. ‘Enter.’

Rei opened the door. ‘We’re ready for you, your Highness.’

Rin nodded. He followed Rei out of the room and Nagisa accompanied the two of them down the hall and into the prince’s private audience hall. There was a line of twenty people waiting, as there was every week. Rin took his place on his chaise longue at the front of the room and listened to the concerns of his people. His heart wasn’t really in it today, but he didn’t want to earn a reputation as a brash and inconsiderate prince.

The last people in line were a couple. The taller of them had olive-coloured hair and green eyes, and his boyfriend had black hair and blue eyes.

‘Presenting Citizen Tachibana Makoto and Citizen Nanase Haruka,’ Rei said, and the couple stepped forwards.

‘How can I help you?’ Rin asked, hoping this wouldn’t take too long.

Tachibana cleared his throat and shuffled his feet; obviously nervous. ‘Err… your Highness, we err… were wondering if you let the two of us swim in your pool.’

Rin narrowed his eyes: this was certainly a new request. ‘Why should I let you?’

‘Because I like swimming,’ Nanase said.

‘Haru!’ Tachibana shouted, then turned back to Rin. ‘I’m so sorry, your Highness. Haru can be quite blunt sometimes.’

‘It’s fine. But no, you can’t swim in my pool.’

Nanase’s face fell and Rei and Nagisa escorted them out of the room. Rin watched them as they left and felt bad. They had holes in their shoes and dirt on their clothes and now Rin really did feel awful for denying their request.

He shuffled back to his bedroom and found Aiichiro inside. Instead of wearing his guard uniform, he had white harem pants on and Rin’s robe, the sleeves of which extended down over his hands. He gave the prince a small smile when he entered the room.

‘Feeling better?’ Rin asked as he went over to him.

‘A little.’

‘Come here, Ai.’

Rin lay on the bed and Aiichiro cuddled against his chest, humming in content as Rin ran his fingers through his hair. The feel of soft grey strands beneath Rin’s fingers helped him to think, and God only knew how much he needed to think of a way to get out of marriage. Or rather… into marriage.

Rin sat up, but grabbed Aiichiro before he could fall off the bed.

‘Rin?’ The boy asked. ‘Are you okay?’

‘How difficult is it to sneak in and out of the palace?’

‘Very. Only one person has managed to do it in the last five years. Why?’

‘Because now we need to go and talk to Captain Mikoshiba.’ Rin stood up and left his bedroom, dragging Aiichiro out with him.

Rei and Nagisa were stood outside, flirting like usual, but as soon as they saw Rin, they bowed and apologised.

‘Never mind that. Do you know where Captain Mikoshiba is?’

‘I believe he patrols in Princess Gou’s quarters on this night.’

‘Great. I want you two to find the couple who were at my audience, the ones who wanted to swim. They can’t have gone far. Bring them to Gou’s quarters.’

‘Yes, your Highness.’

Rin thanked them, then he grabbed Aiichiro’s hand and the two of them ran to the other side of the palace where Gou’s quarters were.

Just before they arrived, Aiichiro pulled the prince into a hallway that was thankfully void of guards and potential brides. ‘What’s going on, Rin?’

‘I have an idea. I’m going to fire you, but then you’ll sneak back into the place with the help of Captain Mikoshiba. You can be one of the brides. We’ll dress you up as a girl and those two guys from my audience can pose as your parents. The treasurer can cover up your finances for the dowry… it’ll work. I know it will.’

For the first time that day, Aiichiro smiled. ‘It might work, but only if we get a lot of help.’

Rin grinned and the two entered Gou’s quarters. All the guards they asked as to the whereabouts of Seijuro all pointed further into her quarters and soon Rin and Aiichiro were stood at the doors to Gou’s bedroom.

With a clenched jaw, Rin yanked open the door and strode in, Gou was sat on the bed, clothes rumpled and hair out of place. ‘Onii-chan,’ she said, but before Rin could ask her why she looked so scruffy, there was a thump in his sister’s adjoining bedroom.

Aiichiro went to investigate, guard mindset in place, and a moment later, he came out of the bathroom with Seijuro following him.

‘Care to explain?’ Rin asked, trying not to get angry. His sister was too young to be in any kind of relationship.

‘C-captain Mikoshiba was just going over some security plans with me.’

‘Then decided to hide in your bathroom?’

Gou blushed and looked down at her lap.

‘What’s going on?’ Rin narrowed his eyes and put two and two together. ‘Have you been kissing?!’

Gou went red and Seijuro blushed, and Rin lunged for him. Gou leapt up from the bed and stood in between her brother and Seijuro.

‘Stop! I kissed Seijuro first.’

‘Really?’

Gou sighed. ‘No…’

Rin went for Seijuro again, but this time, Aiichiro held him back. ‘Rin, don’t.’

The prince took a few deep breaths, then allowed himself to be pulled back by Aiichiro.

‘What’s going on with you two?’ Gou asked. ‘Your guard just called by your first name. And he’s wearing one of your robes.’

Before Gou could question it further, Rei and Nagisa entered her quarters along with Makoto and Haruka.

The princess groaned. ‘Mother’s going to kill me when she finds out that all these men have been in my room!’

‘Just shush a second and let me explain.’ Rin told the others about his relationship with Aiichiro and the plan as to how they could be together. Makoto would pose as Aiichiro’s father and Haruka as his mother, and Miho, the palace seamstress, would make them all clothes so Haruka and Aiichiro could dress as girls and Makoto as a nobleman. The prince would then get two servants that his mother didn’t recognise to be their guards. Rin could get Kisumi, his mother’s treasurer, to sort out a dowry, then Seijuro could help Makoto, Haruka, and Aiichiro in and out of the palace, and he could also talk to his brother, Momotarou, who was the palace physician. Momotarou would have to examine Aiichiro and he would be alarmed and run to the Queen when he found out that Aiichiro was a boy. Rin had it all planned out.

Gou scowled at her brother. ‘How come you’re allowed to date a guard and I’m not?’

‘Because I can’t get Aiichiro pregnant.’

Seijuro hummed. ‘Ah, so your Highness tops.’

Rin turned and glanced at Seijuro. He didn’t mind the comment so much, but Seijuro had been kissing his little sister for God knows how long. The Captain of the Royal Guard needed to shut up if he valued his job.

‘My apologies, your Highness,’ Seijuro said, having caught on. ‘That was the wrong thing to say.’

Gou sighed. ‘Onii-chan, this plan of yours won’t work. You should just marry Chigusa. She’s not as bad as you think. You’ve only been with Aiichiro a week. What if your marriage doesn’t last?’

‘It will,’ Rin said. ‘We’ve been in love for almost a year. If you had been in love with Mikoshiba for a year and only just told him, then mother told you to marry a random prince, would you do it?’

‘Of course. It’s my royal duty.’

‘Liar,’ Rin hissed. ‘You wouldn’t. Tell the truth.’

She sighed and looked at the floor. ‘I’d marry Seijuro.’

Captain Mikoshiba stepped closer to her and Rin could tell by the look on his face that he wanted to put his arm around her and comfort her or kiss her on the cheek or just do something, but refrained because Rin was in the room.

‘How long have you been together?’ The prince asked.

‘A few months.’

‘How many is a few?’

‘Six…’

Rin glared at Mikoshiba. ‘I want a word with you afterwards.’

The captain nodded and Rin turned to Nagisa. ‘I swear if you tell anyone about this plan, I will have you executed. Do I make myself clear?’

‘Crystal, Prince-chan,’ Nagisa said with a wink.

Rin looked over at Makoto and Haruka. ‘And you’re both willing to do this for me?’

They both nodded eagerly. ‘As long as we get to swim in your pool,’ Makoto said.

‘But why do I have to be the girl?’ Haruka grumbled and folded his arms.

‘Because you’re so pretty, Haru-chan!’ Makoto placed a kiss on Haruka’s cheek and he chuckled as his boyfriend turned pink.

Rin shook his head as he watched the two interact. It was sweet and they were so comfortable around each other. It warmed the prince’s heart to think that he and Aiichiro would be like that one day. ‘Rei, Nagisa, take the two of them to my quarters and prepare them beds – but let no one see them.’

Rei and Nagisa bowed and went to leave the room, but Makoto stepped forwards. ‘Actually, your Highness, I was wondering if I could go and see my brother and sister before we turn in for the night. They’re only 7 and they’ll get frightened if Haru and I don’t return.’

‘Where are your parents?’ Rin asked.

‘They’re dead, your Highness. So are Haru’s.’

Rin sighed: the loss of his own dad made him empathetic towards orphans. ‘Haruka, stay at the palace with Rei. Makoto, Nagisa will accompany you to fetch your belongings and your brother and sister. They can pose as Aiichiro’s siblings.’

Makoto grinned and bowed. ‘Thank you so much, your Highness.’ He and Nagisa left the room, and now only Rin, Aiichiro, Gou, and Seijuro remained.

The prince raised his eyebrows at Captain Mikoshiba and Seijuro sighed: he knew what was coming.

‘When did this relationship start?’ Rin asked.

‘Six months ago.’ Seijuro said. ‘Kou – I mean, the princess – was ambushed whilst travelling. I was with her and saved her, but she asked me not to tell you about it. Samezukan bandits did it and she didn’t want you to get stressed and start having nightmares again. We covered it up, and as we did, we grew closer. I’d always had feelings for the princess, but I chose not to act on them. I’m older than her and I’m just a guard, nothing more.’

Rin watched as his sister frowned: she really did care for Seijuro. Rin hated Aiichiro talking about himself like that, and clearly Gou did when Seijuro said something similar, too.

‘After the ambush, the princess was anxious and scared and she asked me to be around her more as I had been the one to save her and felt save around me. She started having nightmares, and one night when I was patrolling in her quarters, she screamed my name. I ran into her room and soothed her, and she asked me to stay with her. I did, and in the morning, when we woke up, I kissed her. I left straight away, but that evening, the princess came to the guards’ quarters and she confessed to me.’

Rin nodded along: at least Seijuro hadn’t forced himself on his sister. ‘Do you love her?’ He asked.

Seijuro walked over to Gou and took her hand in his. ‘More than anything.’

The prince nodded again. ‘If you upset my sister, you’ll be joining Nagisa on the chopping block.’

‘I wouldn’t expect anything less for hurting her.’

‘I know you wouldn’t.’ Rin sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. ‘You have my blessing. Talk to my mother, but she should be fine with it. You can make your relationship public.’

Gou squealed and leapt into her brother’s arms. ‘Thank you, onii-chan!’

‘Yeah, yeah, get off me.’

Gou jumped off him, then Rin and Aiichiro left her quarters, both of them grinning as they talked about their future together.

A future that was no longer just fictional.

…

The plan was put into action the very next day. As soon as Rin was up, he went with Aiichiro, Haruka, Makoto, and his siblings, Ren and Ran, to see Miho. After telling her about the plan, she suggested for the fake noble family to just wear Rin and Gou’s clothes. It was a good idea, but the Queen would recognise the clothes, so new garments had to be made.

Their next stop was with Kisumi, who was all for the plan. After shifting some money around and flirting with Makoto, much to Haruka’s discomfort, Aiichiro had a dowry.

Rei was commissioned by Rin to make a fake seal for the noble house of Tachibana, and whilst he worked, Rin recruited two men to be the guards of the Tachibana family. Uozumi Takuya, a dishwasher in the palace kitchens, and Minami Kazuki, a blacksmith who made armour for the guards, offered to help, and as soon as they swore their secrecy, they were sent to Miho to get measured for guard outfits.

Seijuro had been to see Momotarou, and the annoying physician agreed to turn a blind eye to Aiichiro’s gender.

Three days later, only two days before the next session, was when the next part of the plan took place. It was dinner time in the palace, and Aiichiro, as planned, spilt a cup of green tea all over the prince’s lap. And Rin, as planned, stood up and threw the cup at Aiichiro, then fired him on the spot in front of the Queen, the Princess, and the majority of the guards.

Aiichiro left the palace straight away, acting more upset then Rin had told him to be. The prince supposed that Aiichiro was allowed to: they hadn’t had a chance to say a proper goodbye. But it wouldn’t matter soon: they were going to be married.

Makoto, Haruka, Ren, and Ran were snuck out of the palace that night, along with Uozumi and Minami, as well as their new clothes. Makoto was in charge and he knew what to do. They were to change into their new garments as soon as the sun rose, then using some money that Rin had given him, Makoto was to hire a carriage and they would all ride to the palace, where Makoto would show his royal seal and they would be shown to the central audience hall. Rin also had Nagisa tamper with the bridal register, and now the Tachibanas were on the list and they would be the final family to present their “daughter”.

On the morning of the final session, Rin got up at the crack of dawn and dressed in his finest clothes. It wouldn’t matter to Aiichiro what he wore, but Rin wanted to make the effort to show his boyfriend how much he appreciated him dressing up as a girl and lying to the Queen for him.

Rin grabbed his crown, and then almost ran to the central audience hall. Nagisa and Rei followed him, and when they arrived, the room was empty save for his mother and a group of guards. Rin bounced over to his throne and sat down, Rei and Nagisa standing behind him.

Rin’s mother made her way over and sat in her own throne, which was to the left of Rin’s. Like her son, she had also dressed in some of her finest clothes. She was wearing a lilac floor-length dress, which was adorned with diamonds and amethysts. Her long red hair fell in curls over her shoulders, and the crown sat comfortably atop her head.

‘So,’ she said. ‘When are you getting a new personal guard?’

‘No idea.’

‘What about Yamazaki Sousuke? Captain Mikoshiba said he was an outstanding candidate.’

Rin waved his hand with impatience. ‘Yeah, hire him. I don’t care.’

‘You could sound bothered, at the very least.’

‘Sorry, but I am kind of preoccupied with finding myself a wife.’

The Queen raised her eyebrows. ‘You actually sound interested this week.’

‘Well,’ Rin said with a smirk, ‘third time lucky and all.’

Gou entered the hall, flanked by Captain Mikoshiba and another guard. The princess was grinning form ear to ear and Rin could tell from just looking at her that his sister was itching to reach out and grab Seijuro’s hand. Rin shook his head. _Pathetic._ Gou bounced down onto her throne, her tiara moving slightly with the motion.

Once the three Matsuokas were settled, Rin’s mother nodded to the two guards stood by the door. They opened the double doors, and into the main audience hall flooded what seemed like thousands of young women and their fathers. They sat against the left and right sides of the room on chaise lounges in the order in which they would present themselves. Aiichiro and the Tachibanas were right at the back of the room, along with Chigusa and her father.

As each of the girls were presented before Rin, Chigusa kept her eyes focused on the prince. She knew what she wanted. She had dreamed of being the Queen of Iwatobi since she was three years old. She disliked Rin, but Chigusa didn’t care: she was going to be Queen.

Rin saw her staring and rolled his eyes. His sister had a fiery personality but acted the way a noble lady should in public. Chigusa was looking at Rin like he was a piece of meat and that was definitely not how a lady should act. At least Aiichiro had the decency to only glance up at Rin every so often, even though he knew that he was going to be chosen. He was playing his part well and Rin couldn’t help but smile. His plan was working.

Captain Mikoshiba cleared his throat for probably the hundredth time that day and read off the scroll he was holding. ‘Lady Hanamura Chigusa of Johzenji, and her father, Lord Hanamura Daisuke.’

The father and daughter got up from their chaise lounge and came forwards, standing at the bottom of the steps that led up to the thrones. They both bowed, then Daisuke smiled at Captain Mikoshiba. ‘Thank you for your announcement, Seijuro, but myself and my daughter need no introduction.’ The middle-aged man transferred his gaze to Rin and the Queen. ‘As you know, my darling Chigusa is two years younger than the Prince, but despite this small age gap, the chemistry between my daughter and your son is undeniable.’ He sighed and Rin rolled his eyes: Daisuke had probably had this pathetic speech written months ago in preparation for this.

‘I’m sure you’ll remember that joint holiday we took three summers ago on Hokkaidō. Our children were inseparable. They went perfectly together and their conversations were electric.’

Rin only just managed to stifle a groan. He remembered that summer. Chigusa had attempted to kiss him, but he had pushed her away and told her to fuck off. That was all they had ever said to each other.

‘Marrying my daughter would not only satisfy your son’s need to be with her, but it will also help to establish a trade route between here and Johzenji.’

Rin rolled his eyes again. His mother wanted him to marry someone from a different kingdom for that exact reason, but if he chose a lady from Iwatobi, then she would respect his decision. And he was going to pick a girl from Iwatobi. Sort of.

Daisuke looked up at Rin, hope in his eyes, but Rin just raised his eyebrows. Did he expect Rin to leap up and propose to Chigusa right there and then? Instead, the prince huffed and looked at the floor.

‘Thank you, Daisuke,’ the Queen said. ‘Rin will make his decision at the end of the session. Please, sit back down.’

Daisuke’s shoulders slumped and he led Chigusa back to their assigned chaise lounge.

Captain Mikoshiba cleared his throat for the final time. ‘Lady Tachibana Akatsuki of Iwatobi and her father, Lord Tachibana Makoto, his wife, Lady Tachibana Haruka, and their other children, Master Tachibana Ren and Miss Tachibana Ran.’

As the “family” stepped forwards, there were whispers and gasps from around the room. Only the father and the daughter attended events like this, not the whole family. But the fact that they were all here only added to the sob story Makoto was about to tell.

Aiichiro stood at the front, just at the bottom of the steps, with Ren and Ran stood at his side. Makoto and Haruka were stood behind him, and behind them were Uozumi and Minami. Ran was dressed in pink, Ren in blue, Haruka in purple, and Makoto in green. Aiichiro was dressed the most elaborately. He was wearing white harem pants and a white crop top, but they had been dyed, and now pink and purple merged with the white in an ombré effect. He had anklets and bracelets on, and body chains covered his bare mid-riff. A pink and purple sheer veil shielded his mouth, and the mole beneath his eye had been covered with skin-coloured makeup: it was too recognisable. He was wearing a grey wig, too, that reached his elbows, and Haruka and Ran both had similar wigs of the same colour on to show the familial relation.

All five of the Tachibanas looked at the floor solemnly for a moment before they bowed and Makoto started speaking. ‘Your Majesty, your Highnesses, I know it is not conventional for the whole family to attend these kind of sessions, but a problem has arisen in our lives. Three days ago, Samezukan bandits raided our home. We now only have enough money for the dowry and we have very few belongings left. We have nothing to offer you; no trade routes, no new foods, only our daughter. We hope that you can accept her.’

The five of them bowed and Rin hid his smile. It had taken Makoto hours to be able to say all of that without stuttering. Now that he had gotten over the embarrassment of saying it, he had added in the emotion necessary and now it was so good that Rin would have believed it, too, if he hadn’t been the one to make it up.

The Tachibanas turned to go back to their chaise lounge, but Rin stood up. ‘I have heard enough,’ he said. ‘I have made my decision.’ He went down the steps, took Aiichiro’s hands in his, and dropped his voice down to a whisper. ‘Do not cry, my love, for I have chosen you to marry.’

Aiichiro smiled. He couldn’t believe that this had actually worked! He and Rin could finally be together.

Rin pulled back from Aiichiro and addressed the entire audience hall. 'I have chosen to marry Lady Tachibana Akatsuki. Mother, set a date for the wedding. Preferably soon, so that I can be joined as one with her and protect her and her family like she needs me to.’

The entire hall clapped, but Chigusa and her father sat at the back, sour-faced. They had been certain that Chigusa would have been picked. How could she not have not have been?! It was a small matter, though. Daisuke had trained Chigusa well, and after one glance at each other, they both knew that Lady Akatsuki would be having a little “accident” at dinner.

…

That night, a banquet was thrown, and all of the women who had been rejected by Rin that day attended. At the head of the table, sat Gou and the Queen, who were in conversation with Makoto and Haruka, and the princess interrupted every now and then to save the civilians if they were unsure as to how to answer to the Queen. Ren and Ran had been sent to the guest quarters to sleep, and Rin and Aiichiro sat on the other side of the Queen, holding hands and whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears.

When half of the ladies had gone to bed and the banquet hall was a little emptier, Rin pulled Aiichiro out to the middle of the room and asked the court musicians to play for them. They danced together slowly, no longer talking, just holding each other. It was a relief to finally be allowed to be together in public like this. Gou and Seijuro joined them, as did Makoto and Haruka, but after half an hour, Aiichiro excused himself to the bathroom and Rin made his way over to his mother.

‘You seem very happy,’ she commented.

‘I am,’ Rin replied with a smile.

‘It’s strange,’ the Queen continued. ‘You’re so comfortable around each other, and it hasn’t even been two hours since you met her.’

Rin grinned. ‘I guess that means she’s the one, right? Didn’t you feel like that when you met Dad?’

A small smile graced the Queen’s face. ‘Yes. I knew it was him the day I met him.’

‘You never told me how you met him, you know.’

She laughed and patted her son’s knee. ‘One day. But not tonight. Tonight is about you and Akatsuki. Speaking of which, where did she go?’

‘Just to the bathroom.’

‘She seems to have been gone a while.’

Rin nodded in agreement and scanned the room. Aiichiro was nowhere in sight, nor was Chigusa, who hadn’t gone to bed earlier. Her father was in the room and he was sipping saké from a goblet with a smug look on his face.

There was something wrong. Rin ran from the room and found Aiichiro down the hall, being cornered by Chigusa. The girl was threatening to break Aiichiro’s arm if he didn’t break the engagement, but Aiichiro stayed leant against the wall, arms folded across his chest and smirk on his face.

Rin ran over and pushed Chigusa out of the way and wrapped an arm around Aiichiro’s waist. ‘Are you alright?’ the prince asked. Of course, Aiichiro was alright. If Chigusa had done something, then the guard could have easily defended himself, but that would have blown his cover. Rin was trying to keep up the pretence.

Aiichiro whimpered and laid his head against Rin’s chest. ‘She threatened me…’

Rin glared at Chigusa. ‘How dare you threaten the future Queen of Iwatobi?! Guards!’

Chigusa’s smirk vanished from her face as two of the palace guards rounded the corner. ‘Rin, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!’

The red head shook his head. ‘You have no right to call me by my first name. Guards,’ he said as he turned to them. ‘Take her to her assigned room and make sure she stays there until the morning, and then escort off the palace grounds.’ Rin looked back at Chigusa. ‘You should be lucky that I’m not throwing you in the dungeons.’

She hung her head and the guards dragged her away. As soon as the corridor was empty, Aiichiro lifted his head from Rin’s chest and smiled up at him. ‘Did I do okay?’

‘You were wonderful.’ Rin kissed his cheek and the two made their way back to the banquet hall, joined hands swinging between them.

…

Rin had asked for an early wedding, under the pretence of protecting “Akatsuki” from the Samezukans, but it was so that it was less likely for anyone to find out that she was actually a he. It wouldn’t matter after the wedding: a divorce in the royal family would have been a massive scandal, so even if everyone found out the Aiichiro was a boy after the wedding was over, it wouldn’t matter. The secret just had to be kept until the vows were finished.

The only downside to keeping the secret was that Rin and Aiichiro had to go out on chaperoned dates during the day. They loved spending time together, but not when the Queen and a group of twenty guards were constantly watching them and all they could do was hold hands and kiss each other’s cheeks. Luckily, though, at night, Seijuro would help Aiichiro sneak into Rin’s bedroom where the fiancées could kiss and hold each other like they usually did. They never took it too far: they wanted to save that for their wedding night, but after a whole day where Rin couldn’t just turn around and kiss Aiichiro when they were in his quarters, they needed this.

The only night they didn’t do it was the night before the wedding: they didn’t want to jeopardise their future together. Instead, Rin went to his mother’s quarters to get some last minute advice about marriage.

‘Rin,’ she said with a smile as he entered her quarters.

The prince sat on the bed next to her and she kissed his cheek.

‘So, what would you like to ask me about married life?’ She said.

Rin bit his lip. ‘How do you not get bored of each other?’

The Queen smiled. ‘Don’t spend every minute with each other. I know you’ll want to be joined at the hip at first, but you need to spend time alone and with other people. Do things without each other.’

Rin nodded. ‘Alright.’

‘I do know, by the way.’

‘Hmmm? Know what?’ Rin asked with a furrowed brow.

‘About Akatsuki. She’s really Aiichiro, isn’t he?’

Rin nodded. ‘How did you know? Everyone who was in on it was sworn to secrecy. None of us slipped up…’

She shook her head with a smile. ‘I could see that you were in love with Aiichiro, and the way you’ve been looking and acting around Akatsuki was the exact same way you acted around him. I’m not an idiot, Rin. Besides, the path your father and I took to get engaged wasn’t so dissimilar from you and Aiichiro.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Aiichiro is a guard, you are a prince. Your father was a prince, and I was a maid.’

Rin’s mouth fell open in shock. ‘You were a maid?!’

‘Yes. Your father was quite messy when he was your age and I would have to spend hours cleaning up in his quarters. He wasn’t very outgoing then so was always in his quarters when I was cleaning. We fell in love, but when it was his turn to be married off, he and the other servants dressed me in a disguise and he picked me. His parents were furious when he revealed after the wedding that I was a maid and not a princess.’

‘And are you… furious… with me?’ Rin asked, feeling unsure.

‘No, Rin. Next time, though, just ask me, okay?’

Rin laughed and hugged his mum. ‘Thank you for your blessing.’

‘It’s alright,’ she said as she hugged him back. ‘I’ve already spoken to Aiichiro and I sent him to Miho so she can make him some wedding clothes that he’ll actually like.’

Rin pulled away from his mother’s embrace with a chuckle. ‘Oh, I don’t know. Ai really likes wearing dresses.’

The Queen shook her head with a smile. ‘Off to bed with you.’

Rin left her quarters and the Queen sighed as soon as the door shut. She put her hand on the pillow that was next to hers. _Toraichi…_ She remembered their first kiss as if it were yesterday.

_‘Your Highness?’ Kumi said as she opened the door to Toraichi’s bedroom. The maid had knocked, but the crown prince hadn’t replied. Could he have gone out for the afternoon? It wasn’t impossible, but it was unusual. Kumi sighed and her shoulders sagged. She really liked the prince, and the only time they could spend together was when she cleaned in his quarters. But the prince was the prince and he had to learn how to sword fight and be diplomatic and make important decisions. He didn’t have time to chat with a stupid maid whilst she cleaned his room._

_Kumi started with the bookshelf and dusted along the tops of each of the heavy tomes and replaced the ones that the prince had skimmed through the night before but had left on the floor. Her next stop was the closet and she put all of the robes and waistcoats and harem pants that had fallen onto the floor into the laundry basket so they could be steamed to get the creases out. He was such a messy prince, but Kumi found it endearing. And the more mess there was, meant that she could spend longer in the prince’s quarters, which would have been more fun if the prince was actually here._

_She placed the laundry basket by the door then went over to the prince’s unmade bed. She rearranged the sheets and made sure everything was tucked in with neat hospital corners, but when it came to rearranging the pillows, her small hand felt something rough beneath one of them. From underneath one of the pillows, Kumi brought out a crumpled scroll that was addressed to her._

**_Kumi,_ **

**_I don’t know how to say this. I’ve been trying for months. I love you. I have since I first saw you in the kitchens when I went to get a midnight snack. I asked for you to work in my quarters so I could see you more and you’re just so wonderful and I love you and_ **

**_I’m repeating myself, sorry. I thought writing it down would be easier but it seems I can’t get my thoughts down here either._ **

**_I know that you’re a maid but I love you so much. I don’t care about being king. I’ll do any job in the world if it means that we can be together._ **

**_I don’t even know if you have feelings for me. You probably think I’m a horrible person. I make all this mess so we can talk longer. It’s stupid. I should just ask you to stay but every time I want to, the words get stuck in my throat and you’ve already gone._ **

_There was another line, which had been scribbled out, but Kumi didn’t care what it said. Her head was swimming. The prince was in love with her?_

_The door to the bedroom opened and in stepped Toraichi. At the sound of the door opening, Kumi scrabbled off the bed and bowed. ‘Sorry, your Highness. I got distracted. I’ll carry on cleaning.’_

_Before she could move, Toraichi registered the crumpled scroll in Kumi’s hand and his eyes widened. ‘Did you read it?’ He asked._

_Kumi nodded, her face turning almost as red as her hair. ‘I didn’t mean to. I found it under your pillow. I’m so sorry, your Highness. I’ll pretend I never saw it.’ She handed the scroll to him._

_Toraichi looked at the scroll for a moment, and then dropped it on the floor. Kumi went to pick it up, but Toraichi grabbed her wrist before she could kneel. From behind the prince’s back, he brought out a red rose and handed it to Kumi._

_As she took it from him, she noticed that all of the thorns had been snapped off, and saw that there were scratches on Toraichi’s hands and fingers. She looked up at him and his red eyes were wide._

_‘Kumi, do you… do you like me?’_

_The maid bowed her had in embarrassment. The scroll could have been a joke. If she said yes, she could be fired. But would Toraichi ever do that to her? ‘Yes. I like you, your Highness.’_

_With shaking hands, Toraichi cupped the sides of Kumi’s face and titled her head up. Slowly, he moved closer to her, and as soon as he was near enough, he pressed his lips against hers in a gentle kiss. He pulled away with a smile and leant his forehead against Kumi’s, his dark hair touching Kumi’s red locks. ‘Was I okay to do that?’ He asked._

_Kumi nodded. ‘Can you… do it again?’_

The Queen couldn’t help but smile. She got off the bed and went over to her closet. At the back, next to all of Toraichi’s clothes, was the uniform she had to wear when she was a maid. She sighed as she looked at her old clothes and Toraichi’s garments. They would be together again someday. But for now, the Queen had to focus on Rin and Aiichiro’s wedding. She hoped they could be as happy as she and Toraichi had been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what the name of Rin's mother is, so I just picked Kumi. If anyone knows what it actually is, please let me know and I will change it :)
> 
> Lilac x

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, guys! I know some of you have already done this, but I would be so grateful if you could fill out my survey or leave a comment on my blog. It's about destigmatising fan fiction and erotica and it's for my dissertation so it's kind of important.
> 
> You can comment here:  
> http://identity2017.blogspot.co.uk/
> 
> And fill out the questionnaire here:  
> https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LCH66LH
> 
> Thank you so much!
> 
> Lilac x


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